A reporter construct was assembled with 4-kb of renin 5'-flanking sequence fused to humanized green fluorescent protein (GFP) cDNA. Transgenic mice carrying this construct were produced and assayed for GFP expression. In the adult, expression was detected in juxtaglomerular (JG) cells of the kidney and granular convoluted tubular cells of the submandibular gland. Furthermore, treatment of mice with captopril induced GFP expression in renal vascular smooth muscle cells. During embryogenesis, GFP expression was first detected at embryonic day E13 in the adrenal gland and Wolffian duct. Expression was also seen in the developing renal vasculature as early as E14 and remained detectable through birth. Renal GFP expression became restricted to JG cells in adults. Fetal adrenal and gonadal arteries also expressed GFP. In the placenta, GFP was observed in giant cell trophoblasts, consistent with reports of renin expression in chorionic cells of both humans and mice. We conclude that 4 kb of renin 5' flank is sufficient to direct multiple known renin expression patterns. Furthermore, the renin-GFP construct characterized here will provide a useful vital reporter for renin expression.

No abstract

Structural and cellular attachment analysis identified overall bent helical regions of adhesive peptides identified within mussel adhesive protein (MAP) capable of also attaching cells. DOPA (L-DOPA, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) is frequently identified and credited for the attachment ability of several marine proteins [Olivieri, MP, et al. (2002), Biofouling 18, 149–159]. Newly designed cyclic peptides (DOPA-G-G-C-G-K-A-K-G-C [cyc-DOPA] & Y-G-G-C-G-K-A-K-G-C [cyc-Y]) derived from structurally conserved regions of several MAP peptides were examined to assist in the understanding of both surface and cellular attachment. Solution-state proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy coupled with molecular modeling and dynamics revealed minimal differences in the structures of the proposed cellular attachment domain within these two peptides. Multiple attenuated internal reflection infrared (MAIR-IR) spectroscopy, ellipsometry and advancing contact angle analyses showed that formation of thin films by these peptides was L-DOPA and pH dependent. When compared to control surfaces, undifferentiated leukocyte cells (MOLT-4) significantly attached and spread onto films created from the cyc-DOPA. The culmination of these structural, biophysical and cellular attachment techniques reveal a conformation of cyc-DOPA that is capable of both adsorbing to surfaces and then attaching cells that spread. This work supports the sequence, K-A-K, as the cellular attachment domain, especially when held in a reliable structural conformation.,.

The transverse cervical artery is typically seen in both the superficial back and posterior cervical triangle dissections in a human cadaver gross anatomy course. The two most commonly used references, the atlases of Grant and Netter, cite it as being a branch of the thyrocervical trunk. Also, these sources name the dorsal scapular artery as either a branch of the transverse cervical artery or a direct branch of the subclavian artery. Additionally, the suprascapular artery is typically seen as a branch of the thyrocervical trunk, but in some cases may be a branch of the transverse cervical artery. Ten cadavers were examined for source and length of the transverse cervical artery from source to the branching off of the dorsal scapular artery, and for other arteries that branched from it. In two cadavers it was a direct branch of the subclavian artery, and the suprascapular artery was a direct branch of the transverse cervical artery in two other cadavers. In this group of dissections, the transverse cervical artery was most often a branch of the thyrocervical trunk, with an average length of 5.875 cm from source to the branching off of the dorsal scapular artery.

Renin, produced by juxtaglomerular cells of the kidney to activate the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone pathway in response to low blood volume and/or pressure, also is a hox gene product that is important in the development of abdominal structures. When linked to green fluorescent protein, renin is expressed by adrenal, renal, and gonadal vessels in the mouse embryo. The ovarian/uterine artery continues to express renin after birth, although the testicular artery does not, and the quantity of expression varies with stage of estrus cycle and during pregnancy. Renin is also expressed in the giant trophoblast cells of the placenta. In the rat, pericytes of the ovarian/uterine artery are immunofluorescent for renin. This project specifically examines the rat uterus in the metestrus stage of the estrus cycle. Using anti‐mouse renin antibody stain, renin is localized to the tunica media of spiral arteries in the uterus and a larger vessel coursing through the serosa. With anti‐rat renin antibody stain, renin also localized to the tunica media of the same vessels. These results help define a baseline in the amount of renin expression in the uterus with which to compare other stages of the estrus cycle and pregnancy to possibly link renin expression with human conditions of premenstrual syndrome and toxemia of pregnancy. Support by NSF grants #0132823 & 0726185, and D'Youville faculty council research fund

Significant changes to offerings and support for a Human Anatomy and Physiology I laboratory course were introduced to enhance student performance. The number of semester long open laboratory sessions with peer tutor availability were increased by 50%. Using the IBM SPSS statistics software (SPSS), analysis revealed that the withdrawal rate decreased through subsequent semesters. The likelihood of withdrawing was also predicted using logistic regression based on variables that indicate prior academic achievement of students [i.e. GPA, cumulative credits, and previous experiences in completing related courses]. Cross tabulation showed a positive trend. The change in withdrawal rate from the fall of 2013 to the spring of 2016 was analyzed using a Fisher's Exact Test. A significant association was observed from this analysis. A weak, but statistically significant correlation between the number of open laboratory sessions attended and student grades was also analyzed by SPSS.Figure 1 shows that the withdrawal rate decreased, while the percentage of students getting a letter grade of “A” increased over the years. In the fall of 2013, 40% of students withdrew from the course, and the percentage dropped to 21% in the spring of 2016. Also, in the fall of 2013, 16% of the students received an “A,” and this percentage increased to 35% in the spring of 2016. This overall positive trend indicates an improvement in student performance. The p‐value for the Fisher's Exact Test for Association was less than 0.001. There was a statistically significant association between each semester and distribution of grades including withdrawal status from the fall of 2013 to the spring of 2016, inclusively.The correlation between the open laboratory attendance and the first exam grade is presented in Figure 2. As shown in the graph, zero attendance at open laboratory session showed a wide range of grade distribution. The grade range was narrowed toward higher grades as attendance increased. The Spearman's Rank Correlation, rs=0.342 (p<0.001), that attendance at open laboratory sessions was a weak positive indicator of student success in the course.This study provides evidence for correlation between teaching anatomy and factors such as the number of laboratory course contact hours, recitation sessions, and student success, specifically a decrease in withdrawal rate and an increase in the percentage of students earning a letter grade of “A.” The results of this study can be used as a starting point for other studies analyzing the correlation between teaching anatomy and factors such as teaching contact hours, recitation sessions, and student success. Further analysis using additional variables, [i.e. students' majors, grade requirements, or their grades in more advanced classes such as the Gross Anatomy laboratory], may be helpful in maintaining and understanding the long‐term effects of this positive trend.Support or Funding InformationWork supported by the Department of Biology and Mathematics, D'Youville College.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

In many anatomy texts, the ulnar artery is named as the source of the common interosseus artery, and anterior and posterior interosseus arteries branch from the common interosseus artery. In the fall semester of 2017, a variation was observed in dissection of one of the cadavers, in which the common interosseus artery was a branch of the radial artery. This research determines variations in the branching pattern of common, anterior and posterior interosseus arteries in the population of cadavers dissected in fall 2017. Of the 17 upper extremities that were dissected and measured, only 5 common interosseus branches were observed, branching from the ulnar artery at an average of 3.4 cm distal to the split of brachial artery into the radial and ulnar arteries. Most limbs had no common interosseus artery, instead a branching of the ulnar to anterior and posterior interosseus directly, at an average of 3.75 cm from the split of the brachial. Three limbs displayed branching of the posterior interosseus directly from the ulnar at an average of 3.6 cm from the split of the brachial, proximal to the branching of the anterior interosseus at an average of 4.0 cm from the split of the brachial. In the limb in which the common interosseus was a branch of the radial artery, the branching of the common interosseus was 5.3 cm from the split of the brachial, and the length of the common interosseus was 2.2 cm. That cadaver's opposite limb had no brachial artery, instead the radial and ulnar arteries were branches of the axillary artery.Support or Funding InformationResearch supported by the Biology and Math Department of D'Youville CollegeThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

No abstract